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01-10-2014 | Blood Pressure Monitoring and Management (G Ogedegbe and JA Staessen, Section Editors)

Psychosocial Risk Factors for Hypertension: an Update of the Literature

Authors: Yendelela Cuffee, Chinwe Ogedegbe, Natasha J. Williams, Gbenga Ogedegbe, Antoinette Schoenthaler

Published in: Current Hypertension Reports | Issue 10/2014

Abstract

A growing body of research demonstrates that psychosocial factors play an important role in the development of hypertension. Previous reviews have identified several key factors (i.e., occupational stress) that contribute to the onset of hypertension; however, they are now outdated. In this review, we provide an updated synthesis of the literature from 2010 to April 2014. We identified 21 articles for inclusion in the review, of which there were six categories of psychosocial stressors: occupational stress, personality, mental health, housing instability, social support/isolation, and sleep quality. Sixteen of the studies reported an association between the psychosocial stressor and blood pressure. While several findings were consistent with previous literature, new findings regarding mediating and moderating factors underlying the psychosocial-hypertension association help to untangle inconsistencies reported in the literature. Moreover, sleep quality is a novel additional factor that should undergo further exploration. Areas for future research based on these findings are discussed.

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Title: Psychosocial Risk Factors for Hypertension: an Update of the Literature
Authors: Yendelela Cuffee
Chinwe Ogedegbe
Natasha J. Williams
Gbenga Ogedegbe
Antoinette Schoenthaler
Publication date: 01-10-2014
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: Current Hypertension Reports / Issue 10/2014
Print ISSN: 1522-6417
Electronic ISSN: 1534-3111
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11906-014-0483-3

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